Hezbollah attacks Israel for the first time after Middle East ceasefire

Hezbollah announced it resumed attacks on Israeli territory, accusing the country of violating the ceasefire agreement between the United States and Iran.

Hezbollah stated today that the rocket launches targeted the Manara settlement in Israel, near the border with Lebanon.

"This is a retaliatory measure against the enemy's violation of the ceasefire agreement," the statement read. "This response will continue until the aggressive actions by the United States and Israel against our country and people cease."

This marks Hezbollah's first attack on Israel since the United States and Iran reached a two-week ceasefire on 8/4. The action followed an announcement by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) that it had launched its largest coordinated offensive against Lebanon since the conflict with Hezbollah began early last month.

A member of the Hezbollah armed group in southern Lebanon in 2023. *AP*

Reuters reported that at least five consecutive airstrikes shook Lebanon's capital, Beirut, on the afternoon of 8/4, sending plumes of smoke into the sky. The IDF stated it targeted over 100 Hezbollah command centers and military facilities in Beirut, the Bekaa valley, and southern Lebanon within 10 minutes.

Lebanon's civil defense agency reported that the attacks resulted in 254 fatalities and over 1,100 injuries nationwide. Beirut, the capital, sustained the heaviest damage, with 91 deaths.

Lebanon's Ministry of Health reported a lower figure of 182 fatalities, cautioning that this was not the final count. This marked the deadliest day in Lebanon since the conflict began.

Hezbollah condemned what it termed Israel's "barbaric aggression," asserting its right to retaliate.

"We were informed that we were part of the ceasefire agreement and complied," stated Ibrahim al-Moussawi, a senior Hezbollah lawmaker in the Lebanese parliament. "However, as usual, Israel violated this agreement, causing massacres across Lebanon."

Smoke rises in Lebanon's capital Beirut after an Israeli attack on 8/4. *AP*

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, a key mediator between the United States and Iran, previously indicated the ceasefire applied to Lebanon as well.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that Lebanon was not part of the agreement and the IDF would continue its attacks on Hezbollah. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and US Vice President JD Vance similarly affirmed that Lebanon was not included in the ceasefire.

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) warned of a retaliatory strike that would cause the United States and Israel regret if attacks on Lebanon did not cease.

Israel and Hezbollah had previously reached a ceasefire in 2024. However, conflict reignited after the armed group launched rockets into Israeli territory on 2/3. This was in retaliation for the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei on the first day of the Middle East conflict.